Michigan football: 'More durable' Blake Corum could play two games in one day

Michigan Wolverines football junior running back Blake Corum is establishing himself as one of the best players in the country at his position. He’s leading the nation with 10 rushing touchdowns and ranks sixth with 122.2 yards per game on the ground.

The way he’s doing it, too, has surprised some outsiders. Corum has been known as a scatback, a great complement to a more complete runner like Hassan Haskins, who he split carries with last season and is now a Tennessee Titan. Now, he’s proving he can carry the bulk of the load on his own — short-yardage, inside, outside, pass protect, you name it.

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Haskins never carried the ball 59 times over a two-game stretch, but that’s exactly what Corum has done the last pair of games, wins over Maryland and Iowa. In the former, he rushed 30 times for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns. In the latter, he racked up 133 yards and 1 score on 29 rushes.

The Michigan running back feels he gets better and better as a game goes on.

“I feel like I get better,” Corum said. “Especially with my O-line, as you guys have seen, they’re firing off the ball and they make my job a lot easier. I definitely feel like the more carries I have, the more I can get in a rhythm and things like that. I think I get better, honestly.”

Corum has been known for being meticulous about taking care of his body, and that’s paying off now that his workload has increased.

“Just ready for Indiana,” Corum said with a smile. “My body feels great. I treat it real well, I get a lot of treatment, take care of it, eat the right things. I feel like that has helped my body these last two weeks, for sure. But I feel great.”

“I truly believe he can play the noon game, and then take a break, re-suit up and play another game,” Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said on the Inside Michigan Football radio show last week. “I think he can play two games back to back every single Saturday — that’s how well-prepared he is.”

The 5-8, 210-pounder heard all about his coach’s remarks and loved the sentiment.

“I got a smile out of that,” Corum said. “He came to me after he told you guys that, he saw me upstairs. He was like, ‘I was telling them, you could play at 12:30 and play at 3:30 or 4’ or whatever it might have been. I just started laughing like, you know what, coach, I think I could, too.

“It means a lot when he says stuff like that, because it means he watches what I do, he knows the work I put in, he knows how much I care about Michigan football. So it means a lot when he says things like that.”

As for the questions about his ability to pick up first downs in short-yardage situations, he’s proving he can do it each and every week. Corum added 11 pounds in the offseason, which has helped, but he believes he’s always been a complete enough player to get the job done. He also still has plenty he’d like to improve.

“I definitely feel more durable,” Corum explained. “Especially with the workload that I had these last two weeks, I think it has helped. I also think the weight has helped [with falling forward], bringing a little more power.

“I definitely feel like I’ve been able to showcase some of my capabilities. I have a lot I can improve on. I’m hard on myself all the time. I wish I could have a bunch of runs back from the Iowa game — pick my feet up on a couple runs, break a couple more tackles.

“Obviously, I feel like I’ve been able to get those hard yards that people didn’t know I could do. But I want to get a lot better. There are areas where I think I can get a lot better and try to be perfect. There’s no such thing as perfection, but I feel like I can try as hard as I can.”

Blake Corum on Heisman attention

Corum is beginning to pop up on Heisman Trophy watch lists, with On3’s Matt Zenitz naming Corum as the No. 2 candidate on his hot board this week. The Michigan back isn’t reading too much into the hype.

“It’s cool,” a smiling Corum said. “I think it was the first couple games last year, I was there. I don’t pay attention to it. At the end of the day, if you don’t win the Heisman at the end of the year, it doesn’t matter anyway. Obviously, it’s cool going to New York or whatever it may be, but I’m focused on the team. I’m trying to go back to the College Football Playoffs and win it all this year. With the team’s success, individual success happens.

“So, it’s cool. I’ll say it’s cool. But if I’m still on there at the end of the year, I might have a different answer. Right now, I’m just trying to beat Indiana, so that’s all I got for you.”